Mission: Unacceptable
by Shania Nowhere
Summary: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy get sent on a secret mission to the Sanc Kingdom where they must accomplish various tasks in a three-week period. But things happen that make it harder. Someone is a wanted man, another falls short of death, while yet another ago
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Wing and anything having to do with it, I don't own Footlocker or anything from it hehe, I don't own any hotel chains or the song "Macho Man" (not that I'd want to in the first place. . .), and if there's anything else in here in question, I probably don't own it. So please, don't sue this sorry writer. . .--

Mission: Unacceptable. . .

Chapter 1: Scene One

With a joyful and mischievous grin, Duo Maxwell ran into school, or at least his school for the moment, and found his friend Heero slowly walking down an empty corridor, making his way to class in his usual morbid state. He threw his arm around Heero's neck and said cheerfully, "Hey, Heero! Guess where I've just been?"

"The Principal's office?" Heero responded wryly.

"No," Duo mumbled something about being there earlier before continuing, "I was just in our room getting some homework for today and I found a new mission email!"

"Oh? Are you going to go away now? Far away? Hopefully on a suicide mission?"

"No! Hey, can I say anything without you picking on me?"

"No."

"(sigh) Fine. Anyway, we've been assigned to a secret operation in the Sanc Kingdom!"

"We? You're kidding."

"Nope, it was sent to you and me! Isn't that great?"

"Just peachy…" Heero walked faster after tossing Duo's arm away, turning a corner and heading straight for his class.

"Well, see ya after class!" Duo yelled to Heero's back, not quite able to hear Heero's response. He broke into a run and headed for his own class, just noticing he was late.

Scene Two

"Ah, there you are! I thought you weren't gonna come!" Duo said in his usual perkiness. Heero didn't respond as he walked across the room and looked down at the packed duffel bag on Duo's bottom bunk.

"Where are you going, on vacation?" Heero sarcastically remarked in a dry manner. Duo turned to face him and said, "No, smarty-pants. If you'll read the email it says we'll be on this mission for quite a while…three weeks to be precise."

"What? I don't have time to. . ." Duo pointed to the screen and said, "You don't have a choice." Heero walked to the computer and sat down, staring at the screen while quickly reading the message. Meanwhile, Duo climbed onto the edge of his bed and reached up to Heero's bunk, grabbing a duffel off the bed and tossing it to the floor. Heero looked at it, then at Duo.

"I already packed for you! Don't worry, your precious spandex shorts are in there, I wouldn't make you go around without em." Duo said with a wink, running for the bathroom when Heero started to stand up. With a snort, Heero crouched down next to the bag and rummaged through it to see what Duo had "attempted" to pack him. His eyes widened as he pulled out a ball gown and exclaimed, "Duo, what the heck!"

"Huh?" Duo peeked out of the bathroom for a second and then laughed after seeing the sleek blue dress in Heero's hands.

"What's so funny, you baka!" Heero yelled, about ready to pummel his braided accomplice.

"I guess you didn't read that part in the mission. You're my date on Friday night to Relena's celebration ball!"

"WHAT!" Heero jumped to his feet and looked for his gun, about ready to shoot Duo's head clean off.

"Woah, before you go trying to murder me to get out of the mission, read what it says!" Duo tried to convince him it wasn't his idea, though the dress was. Heero ran over to the computer and read the message, cursing as he finished the entire thing.

"I am NOT going to be a GIRL!" Heero said indignantly, almost smoking from the ears and burning with embarrassment at being ordered to cross-dress for a mission.

"It wasn't my idea, they picked you!"

"Why not someone like Quatre, he looks pretty enough to pass as a girl! Or why not you! You have the body for it." Heero said with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, don't make fun of my figure! At least I have one. . ." Duo said sarcastically.

"I don't care! I'm not going to be a girl."

"You don't have a choice! You have to dress up as a girl for this one night and it'll be over! Relena will be there and if you're the guy, she'll talk to you and you know. . .the whole mission will go down the toilet. Besides, I think you would make a very pretty girl, just a little blush and lipstick and you'll be all set! Wait. . .have you already been trying on some stuff?" Duo said, poking Heero's flush cheeks. Heero stared coldly at Duo as he said, "If you want to keep that finger, I suggest you stop poking me." Duo immediately stopped and scratched his head in uneasiness.

"Hehe, well, I'm just gonna. . .uh. . .go finish packing!" He ran off and Heero sighed.

"Why don't they make you the girl, you're packing like one! Man, why do you need this many clothes! All I ever bring is a spare outfit and maybe some essentials. . ."

"These ARE essentials! I'm doing more out in the open work on this mission while you do the behind the scenes work. I'm doing what I'm good at and you're doing what you're good at."

"Gee, I thought all you were good at doing was being a pain and getting stuck in the principal's office enough times that they know you by name."

"HEY! They call me Mr. Maxwell. . .not counting the secretary who calls me little Duo. . .and the nose-picking kid who calls me Lewxam. . .dumb girl. . ." Duo muttered to himself as he went about his rummaging for more clean pairs of underwear without much luck.

"Hmph. . ." Heero sighed and leaned against the bed, looking at the computer and saying, "I'd rather go on a stakeout with Chang. . ."

Scene Three

"Come on, we'll miss the jet, Heero!" Duo yelled over the sounds of the engines starting up. Heero caught up to Duo and they boarded the jet, taking seats just feet from the door. Duo packed away their luggage and took his seat, sighing and stretching as he said, "Ah, get ready for a long ride! Did you bring anything to do while we're traveling?"

"Yeah, it's called sleep. Wake me when we get there." Heero said, closing his eyes and drifting off into a shallow sleep. Duo frowned and thought to himself, _Darn it, now I'll have to sit here all alone. . .there's got to be something to do._ He looked around and then up at the overhead buttons. He grinned slightly and reached up when suddenly, a soft voice said, "Unless you want a mask to fall into your lap, I suggest you don't press that button." He looked over into the aisle to see an extremely attractive, young, well-built flight attendant staring down at him. He put on his winning smile and said, "Well, I might just need it, you're so beautiful you're taking my breath away!" She giggled and Heero moaned at his companion's bad pick up line.

__

He better not use that lame airplane line. . .Heero thought to himself.

"So, what's a girl like you doing on an airplane like this?"

__

Nevermind. . .

Duo continued to hit on the flight attendants till the jet landed in the Sanc Kingdom, Relena's home and base of operation for her peacemaking and treaties. Heero hurried off the jet as Duo lagged behind and said his farewells to the girls.

"Be careful on your way back, some guys aren't as nice as me!" Duo said with a wink and blown kiss. The jet echoed with giggles and Heero muttered to himself, "Get off the plane, Duo, before your ego gets too big to fit through the doorway. . ."

"Hey Heero, wait up! Do you even know where you're going?" Duo said as he caught up to his nauseated partner.

"Well, as long as you're not there, I don't really care where I go. . ."

"Would you stop being so crabby! It wasn't my idea to come here, ya know! Hey, you can always file a complaint." Duo winked.

"Right. I think there was something in that air that you breathed in while the flighty attendants demonstrated on you how to use the air masks."

"Hey, they're not flighty! You're just jealous that they were talking to me and not you."

"Right, like, I really wanted to like have such a totally intelligent conversation with those like totally dumb blondes!" Heero mocked the girls on the plane with accurate airheadedness. Duo frowned at him and said, "They didn't talk like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I confused you for them. My mistake." Heero jeered. Duo reached to tackle Heero as he ran for the road to flag down a taxi. He missed and fell flat on his face, getting up quickly to shout an insult at Heero. Heero ignored him as he got a taxi and started loading his bag in the trunk. Duo shot across the runway to get to the taxi before Heero left without him.

Scene Four

"I'm checking in with my friend here, I believe we have a reservation under the name Maxwell?" Duo said to the clerk at the check-in desk of a hotel near the airport. The clerk handed him the room key, saying, "Here's your key, sir, enjoy the honeymoon suite, Mr. Maxwell."

"WHAT!" Heero exclaimed.

"Thank you!" Duo said quickly and snatched the key, running for the elevator, hoping Heero wouldn't get in with him. But a hot wind began to blow on his neck and seemed to block out the light. Duo swallowed hard and thought to himself, _This is going to be a long three weeks. . ._

"Duo. . .why the HECK do we have a honeymoon suite!" Heero hissed on the back of Duo's neck.

"Maybe there was a little mix up or maybe they're booked up solid! Who knows. Ah, the elevator!" He jumped in and desperately pushed the close button but it was slow to responding as Heero walked in, bringing his bad attitude with him. Duo sighed and prayed the elevator would move faster. Finally, they reached their room and opened the door. The sight inside caused Duo to drop his bag, and his jaw.

"Holy-" Duo exclaimed.

"Duo, this is. . .well, scary, but. . .I can't sleep here! There's. . .heart-shaped everything in this room. . ." Heero said as he entered the room and examined its contents. Duo entered as well and headed for the bathroom.

"And it has a bath tube shaped like a giant wine glass! And leopard print towels. . .oh my gosh. . .the toilet's even heart-shaped. . ." Heero walked over to the king-sized bed and said in a controlled voice, "Duo, this bed is. . .pink. . .and. . .ruffley. . ." He sat on it and felt like he had sat down on a pool.

"Ooo, water bed. . ." Duo commented as he peeked around the corner at Heero floating on the bed.

"Ugh, this is a NIGHTMARE! I'm stuck in this FREAK room with you for three weeks!" Heero screamed and then shoved his face into one of the silky pillows on the bed, muffling his crude exclamations.

"Hey, look at the bright side, at least we have normal lights in the room!" Duo said as he crossed the room to the door to turn off the lights. The lights slowly dimmed on and off.

"Um. . .okay, so they dim, is that really that unusual?" Duo said, trying to make the situation not look so bad. Then he found 'the other' switch. Rainbow lights flashed on and off like a disco and a mirror ball came out of the ceiling while "Macho Man" played in the background. Both boys stared in horrified silence for a second until Duo flipped the switch again and the lights and music went away with the disco ball. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes as they just blankly stared across the room in no particular direction, scared out of their minds by the room.

"Um. . ." Duo tried to think of something to say.

"Shutup. . .just shutup." Heero said in exhausted anger.

Scene Five

"Heero, hurry up! The party starts at 7:30 and we can't be late!" Duo yelled from the bedroom, trying to tie his bow tie while putting his shoes on.

"I'm not wearing this dress, it's. . .too revealing. . ." Heero shouted back.

"Oh don't be modest! I'm sure you look hot in it!" There was a silence for a bit and Duo knew Heero was burning a hole through the wall in Duo's direction. He sighed and said, "Just come out and let me see how bad it is." Finally, the door cracked open and Heero walked out in the dress and high heels. Duo's jaw dropped and he said, "WOAH! Heero, this is a side of you I didn't know existed. . .if you weren't a guy-"

"But I am, and these aren't mine!" Heero said, pointing to his chest.

"Well, you needed something to give you a feminine attribute, to finish off the look!" Duo tried to rationalize his friend's situation but didn't seem to be helping. Heero glared at Duo and sighed, saying as he readjusted himself, "Well, what if something happens and they get messed up. . ."

"Go to the powder room, all the women do that when they need to fix something! Just be discreet about it." Duo said, trying to cheer Heero up. Duo fumbled more with his bow until Heero walked over to him and swatted his hands away, quickly tying the bow and saying, "Haven't you ever tied one of these before?"

"Well, yes, but this one was being extra difficult. . ." Duo commented, "Aren't you gonna put on some makeup?"

"What! No way, I put on the dress and heels. . .AND the bra, I'm NOT putting on makeup!" Heero exclaimed.

"But people will recognize you as a boy in a dress! You need something to soften your features. . ."

"What's wrong with my features." Heero growled.

"Well, your skin's just too rough for a girl, you need to soften it up a bit with some powder and blush. . .and maybe a little eyeliner and mascara to bring out your eyes."

"I like them where they are, thank you very much."

"Very funny, come on I'll help you with the makeup." Duo said, pushing Heero toward the bathroom.

"What? Since when do you know how to put on makeup!"

"Just trust me on this one. . . I won't make it look like army paint." Heero tried to make another snide comment back at him but got shoved into the bathroom instead.

Scene Six

"Welcome to our grand celebration, Duo, I'm glad you could come!" Relena said cheerfully, welcoming her guests into the ballroom with her usual graciousness.

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine! I'd like to introduce my date for tonight, Anita Mann, she's a bit shy but a fun gal to be with at parties!" Duo said with a laugh. Heero grumbled to himself at his new name, trying not to make eye contact with Relena, for fear she'd recognize him and think him a freak forever.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Mann, I hope you will enjoy the ball!" Relena said sweetly.

"She will, don't worry!" Duo said, grabbing Heero's hand and pulling him into the room. They slowed down and Heero pulled his hand away, saying in a soft voice, "Don't touch me."

"Heero, you're my date, you have to act like it or our cover will be blown!" Duo whispered back, looking about nervously as people were beginning to stare. Heero noticed it too and sighed, accepting defeat and approaching Duo. He allowed him to link his arm with his and they descended the stairs together.

__

I feel like a complete fool! Why me. . . Heero thought to himself as girls glanced at him and whispered amongst themselves.

"They're just saying your dress is beautiful, don't worry so much." Duo whispered to Heero. Heero looked over at his company and Duo smiled in a jolly way, looking confident and carefree. He couldn't help but grin as he said, "But it doesn't compliment my figure at all. . ." they reached the bottom of the stairs and Duo whispered, "Alright, you act like you're mingling and get a look at the room."

"And what are you going to do?" Heero whispered back.

"Get us some punch, of course! What kind of a gentleman would I be if I let my date go thirsty?" Duo said with a wink.

"you're taking this whole date thing too serious, Duo. . ." Heero commented. Duo ignored the comment and went off to find the refreshment table. Left alone, Heero began to slowly wander the room and examine it in its entirety.

"Hey there, pretty lady, what are you doing unescorted at such a fancy ball?" Heero spun around and came face to face with Trowa Barton. Surprised, Heero just stared at him and blinked. Trowa smiled and put his hand around Heero's waist, taking his hand and saying, "Care to dance?" Heero didn't want to make a scene so he went along with Trowa, allowing him to lead him across the dance floor in a waltz. As they danced around the room, Trowa whispered, "So, what's say you and me forget the party and head back to my place, I can show you a real good time."

"You're joking, right?" Heero said in a low whisper.

"Hmm. . ." Trowa got closer to Heero and said in a lower whisper, "Maybe. . .Heero." He knew that the makeup and garb didn't fool Trowa, he's smarter than that. Subtly, Heero wrapped his arms around Trowa's neck and got close, close enough to have a conversation in whispers with him.

"What are you doing here?" Heero asked calmly, keeping an eye out for Duo in case he came back too soon.

"Looking for someone, and you?"

"I'm. . .undercover."

"I can see that. . .and might I add that you make a very attractive drag queen." Trowa grinned wryly.

"Very funny." Trowa stopped dancing and looked up suddenly, staring across the room at someone. He gently detached Heero's arms from around his neck and said, "Excuse me, I see my objective standing alone by the exit. Can we finish our dance later?" Trowa joked a little in his seriousness.

"How about we don't and say we did." Heero said, bowing for show and smiling out of sarcasm. Trowa bowed in return and left to go after the mysterious person. Heero acted like nothing was amiss as he exited the dance floor and returned to his position by the stairs. He found Duo walking up a few feet away with the drinks.

"There you are, where'd you go?" Duo said as he approached, handing Heero a drink. Heero took the small punch cup and said in his softest girl voice, "I was dancing with an old friend." Duo grinned and said, "Oh? Who might that be?"

"Let's talk later. Right now we have an objective to accomplish, right? Or am I wrong?"

"Mmm. . .aren't we allowed just the tiniest bit of fun?"

"You're not the one wearing the tight dress, and these boobs are killing me. . ."Heero said, fighting the urge to rearrange himself in front of everyone. Duo stifled a laugh as he smiled and said, "Let's go to the balcony, I hear the view is just wonderful tonight." As they walked together across the floor, Heero said in a girly voice, "Oh Duo, I would love to see it with yoooouuuu. . ."

"Now you're mocking me."

"Whaaat, little old meee? But I'm, like, not trying to. . .giggle."

"Haha, very funny. You just can't let that drop can you?"

"But I like thought you liked airheads!"

"sigh You're gonna make this hell for both of us, aren't you?"

"Well, gee, I don't know. . ."

Scene Seven

As the party slowed down to about 30 guests still happily chatting, Duo and Heero kept an eye on one guest in particular that they were assigned to watch for the three-week mission. Finally, the guest started up the stairs to leave.

"He's heading out." Heero whispered. Duo turned his attention to him and said, "Darling, it's getting late. I think it's best if we head home before midnight comes."

"Oh yes, that's a good idea." Heero said, allowing Duo to take his arm and lead him toward the stairs, "And if you call me darling again, you'll find that bow of yours somewhere you don't want it."

"Now now, no need to get violent. . .just doing a bit of roleplay. . ."

"Whatever." Heero muttered something else but Duo couldn't quite make it out. As they ascended the stairs, Relena walked over and said, "Leaving so soon, Duo? I was hoping to talk to you a bit and catch up."

"Oh, well, Anita was feeling a bit tired from the wonderful night she had, I didn't want to keep her up any longer." Duo said, patting Heero's hand. Heero held back a growl as he said, "Yes, it is quite past my bedtime. . .thank you for the lovely evening, Miss Peacecraft."

"I'm just glad I could make your night a pleasant one." Relena said with a smile. Heero bowed and said, "Goodnight, ma'am." Relena seemed a bit surprised by his formality and bowed in return. Duo kissed Relena's hand and said, "Goodnight, Relena, I hope to see you again soon. Do sleep well."

"Thank you, I will. Goodnight." They walked toward the front doors and Heero said, "That was a bit much."

"And your little curtsy wasn't? What was all that! 'goodnight, ma'am', I mean, really. . ."

"Sorry, I learned it from watching Relena."

"You do watch her a lot. . ."

"And what was that suppose to mean?"

"Mmm. . .I don't know. . ." Duo said, rolling his eyes toward the sky, "Clear night tonight, full moon and everything. If you weren't a guy, I'd say this was a perfect date. . ."

"You're changing the subject."

"Look, there's a waiting taxi, let's catch it before someone else does."

"We're talking later. . ." Heero said, perturbed by his sudden subject change.

Scene Eight

"Ah, that was a fun party, did you see Milliardo dancing the tango with Noin! Man, that was funny!" Duo laughed, throwing his tie onto the dresser by the bed and removing his jacket. Heero headed straight for the bathroom and said over his shoulder, "Duo, grab me a pair of pants. . ." Duo saluted Heero sarcastically behind his back and went over to the bag to find something for him. As Heero undressed, he said through the closed bathroom door, "So, about tonight. . .what was the whole hand kiss about? If you were trying to make me jealous then it didn't work."

"Oh? You're the one who just brought it up again, I never had any sort of intention to make you jealous. Were you?"

"I said I wasn't. . ."

"Right. . ."

"Where are those pants!" Duo jumped up and strode across the room, knocking on the door and saying, "Here, your highness." The door fiercely cracked open and a hand snatched the pants and disappeared back inside the quickly shut door. Duo shrugged and walked back over to the bed, sitting down and bobbing around a little before reaching down to take off his shoes. Finally, the door opened and Heero came out, de-makeuped and looking like a guy again. Duo looked up and smiled, then went back to untying his shoe. Heero frowned and said, "What was that for?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Heero didn't believe him. He laid the dress on his bag and sat on the edge of the bed, rustling his hair a bit to return it to its messy form. He sighed and fell back into the waves of the mattress, letting its rhythm sway him to a calm, sleepy state. Duo looked back at him, smiling again. He started to unbutton his shirt when a voice said, "Duo?" He looked back again and said, "Yeah?"

"Weren't you uncomfortable at all tonight?"

"Mmm. . .not really. I was a bit concerned about you, though."

"Huh? Why?" Heero sounded surprised, since he was.

"Well, you had to walk around in those heels all night long, that couldn't have been too comfortable." Heero stayed quiet for a minute and Duo continued. Getting up, Duo took his shirt off and said, "And that bra, I'm sure, wasn't at all easy to wear! Especially with Relena there and all, seeing you like that, even if she didn't know it was you."

"What does that have to do with her?" Duo looked at Heero and said, "I'm going to be honest with you. I think you have a crush on Relena and you just don't want anyone to know and come off as a softy. I, honestly, don't see that as making you soft, it's nice that you like someone. It shows that you're not a heartless robot bent on completing your 'objectives' in life and knocking down anyone that gets in your way. You're a human, like the rest of us, capable of being human. I mean, I think you're entitled to a little bit of humanity, after all you did to save it!"

"Duo. . ."

"Hey man, you don't have to say anything. I won't tell anyone about your little secret, I promise. And you know I won't cause. . ."

"'You may run and hide but you never tell a lie'." Duo grinned and said, "Yeah. Hey, I never thought you listened to me. . ."

"I figure I might as well since if I don't, you'll just end up telling me again later. Just trying to cut down on the repeated info, that's all. . ."

"Right." Duo walked toward the bathroom after tossing down his shirt. Stopping at the door, he paused for a second before turning and saying, "Heero, you're a good friend." He went in and shut the door, ending the discussion. Heero was set back by that last comment, and thought about it as he wormed his way completely onto the bed and curled up, dosing off to a restful, deep sleep.


	2. Part 2

Chapter Two: Scene One

"Wake up, sleepy head! I thought you were an early riser, Heero!" Duo shouted from across the room as he ran in circles and stretched. Heero groggily sat up, rocking to the unstable bed's movement. Rubbing his eyes, he muttered, "What happened. . .I usually wake up at daybreak. . ."

"Well, you're awake now, and we have work to do! So hop out of bed and get dressed, it's off to the mall we go!" Duo cheerfully said as he jogged in place.

"The. . .what! Mall! I thought this was a mission, not a shopping trip!" Heero exclaimed as he wobbled out of the bed. He caught his foot on the edge of the bed frame and went tumbling to the floor, sprawling out in front of his suitcase like a clumsy 2-year-old. Duo let out a loud hoot as he stopped and fell to the floor with laughter at his friend's awkward climb out of bed. Heero stood straight up and shouted, "SHUT UP!"

"Okay, okay, what's your problem! You can't blame me for finding that amusing. . .cause it was! BUWAHAHAHA!" He rolled around a little more and finally composed himself and stifled a chuckle as he got to his feet. Heero glared at him and said as he rubbed his hip in pain, "I've never been so clumsy in my life. . ." He groaned and walked into the bathroom, not even closing the door as he climbed into the bathtub. Duo's eyebrow went up as he said, "Um, people usually take off their clothes when they take a bath! . . .Heero?" He slowly walked over to the bathroom as the sound of the bath echoed into the room.

"Heero. . .?" Duo called again but got no response. Suddenly, he heard a thud in the bathroom and he ran to find Heero laying unconscious in the tub, face down. With a gasp, Duo leapt over and pulled Heero out of the water and onto the tile floor.

"Heero! Wake up, man! Heero!" a small puddle of blood appeared beside Heero's head and Duo's eyes widened. Heero had hit his head on the rim of the wineglass tub as he fell and created a rather painful-looking gash on his head.

"Heero. . ."

Scene Two

"Uugh. . .what happened. . ." Heero tried to sit up but a sharp pain throbbed in his head and he stopped moving, reaching to touch the gash. He felt a hand stop him and he opened his eyes to see Duo at his side, looking a bit worried.

"Don't, I had to stitch up a huge gash on your head and that's what's throbbing." Duo said quietly, putting an ice pack on Heero's forehead. Heero frowned and said, "Wha. . .what's that for?"

"You have a fever, that's why you felt so ill this morning and stumbled out of bed."

"Fever?"

"I'm guessing you didn't favor too well on the long flight over here, and staying up so late didn't help any."

"But I never get jetlag. . ."

"Even the best soldiers get sick, don't worry, I'm sure your fever will break soon and you can handle it!"

"My head feels like it's on fire. . ." Heero moaned as he reached to touch his head again. Duo swatted his hand away again and said, "Don't move, just rest and get better! I'll run downstairs and get you some soup from the dining hall! Be right back." He ran to the door and as he opened it, Heero said, "Duo, you don't have to-"

"Hey, you need all you can get to get back on your feet so we can finish this mission as soon as possible! I can't do anything without you, so I might as well help you any way I can. Later!" He dashed out of the room before Heero could protest anymore and left him to lay in painful confusion.

__

Why does Duo care about me? It's not just so he can get back to the mission. . .is it? If it was that simple that'd be great but I get a strange feeling it's not. Heero thought to himself. He was about to continue musing about it but his head throbbed again from the deep thinking and he decided it wasn't a wise thing to do. As he silently waited for Duo to return, he heard a knock on the door and a quiet creak as it opened. Careful, confident footsteps entered the room and Heero took a guess as to who it was.

"Trowa, how'd you know that we were staying here?" Heero moaned, not even bothering to look to see if he was right.

"I see your hearing's good as ever. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to drop by. Nice room, by the way. . ." Trowa said with a hint of amusement. He paused as he saw the condition Heero was in and said in his pitiless voice, "You look worse than you did that time you self-detonated your Gundam and blew yourself to heck."

"Thanks." Heero responded dryly. Trowa knelt next to the bed and felt Heero's cheek with the back of his hand, startling him into opening his eyes and looking at him.

"You have a high fever." Trowa said, sounding surprised.

"No, I stuck my head under the hot water faucet just for fun."

"You should be in a hospital, you've probably got a temperature of 104."

"That's nice. . .but I'm too busy to be in a hospital. Besides. . .Duo's taking care of me."

"Duo? You trust him that much?"

"Hey, he's not that incompetent." Heero said, then wondered why he was defending him like this.

"Okay, take it easy. Where is the braided fool, anyway?" Trowa wryly commented, looking toward the still open door.

"He's. . .busy. You should probably not be here when he gets back." Heero said, hoping Trowa wouldn't see his "nurse" cheerfully returning with soup.

"Yeah. Since we're on the same mission, keep me updated on what you find. I'll be in contact." At that, he disappeared out the door and closed it behind himself.

__

On the same mission? It was only addressed to me and Duo. . .Heero pondered, but didn't get a chance to finish the thought when Duo entered the room and said, "Lunchtime! Think you're up to some food?" Heero slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard, taking the soup from Duo and sitting it in his lap. As Duo sat on the edge of the bed, he said, "Hey, is something wrong? You're awfully quiet."

"I don't feel well. . .I think I'll just sleep." He gave the soup back to Duo and turned away, curling up under the covers and holding the ice pack to his head. Duo frowned in slight sadness as he sat the soup on the dresser and started on his own.

"Duo?"

"Hmm?" Duo looked back at Heero as he swallowed his mouthful.

"Thanks anyway." Duo smiled and continued to eat.

Scene Three

"ARGH, stupid computer. . ." Heero woke to find Duo cursing under his breath and whacking the laptop they had brought along for the mission. He sat up and said, "If that technique actually worked, I'd use it on you a bit more often."

__

Well, Heero's back to his normal, sardonic self again. . .Duo thought to himself as he tried to ignore the snide comment.

"I was trying to access a file on here about our mission but it claims it doesn't exist. I was looking at it just this morning while you were asleep, why won't it work now!" Duo said in aggravation as he hit buttons out of frustration. Heero thought for a minute and said, "Was this before or after you got the soup?"

"Before. . .why, what happened?" Duo said, sensing a hidden occurrence, "Is that why you weren't hungry, do you know what happened?"

"Well, I have a suspicion about it. . .but that's not why I wasn't hungry."

"Why weren't you?"

"Nevermind. Were we the only people assigned to this mission or didn't the message specify?"

"Um, I think we are. . .why?"

"Well, I don't know if you noticed or not but an old friend was at the party last night. . ."

"I know, you mentioned him. Who was it?"

"Trowa."

"Really. . .I wonder why he was there."

"He said he was after an 'objective', same as us."

"Can't be our objective. . ." Duo said, reclining a bit and slowly stroking his chin with his fingers in thought.

"Why not?"

"Nevermind. Hey, what does he have to do with my missing file?"

"Well. . .he kind of stopped by while you were gone. . .I'm not quite sure if he did anything while he was here or not. . ."

"What do you mean he stopped by! Why didn't you tell me before!" Duo said, closing the laptop and standing up, running into the bathroom as Heero frowned in confusion.

"What difference does it make, why does it matter?"

"Cause, our objective is Triton Bloom!"

"So?"

"His codename is Trowa Barton."

"What! Why didn't you tell me!"

"I. . .wasn't suppose to. . ."

"What." Heero got up and in Duo's face in less time Duo could take a breath in.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea!" Duo stuttered, backing up as he was cornered in the bathroom. He tripped and fell back against the sink, leaning back farther as Heero's face followed his the whole time.

"You're gonna tell me everything you weren't suppose to, right now." Heero growled, his eyes in tight, aggravated slits. Duo gulped and nervously said, "Alright, okay! Can you give me a little space here!" By now Heero was straddling Duo against the sink and a little too close for comfort. Heero moved away and stood in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes sharply set on Duo, awaiting a lengthy explanation of the entire mission. Duo rubbed the back of his now very sweaty neck and said, "What exactly do you wanna know in particular?"

"Everything."

"But. . .we have an assignment today!"

"Too bad."

"It's really important!"

"So. . .hurry it up then." Duo grit his teeth then suddenly, as if cued, a knock echoed on the front door.

"Well, we have a caller! Let's not keep him waiting!" Duo bolted past Heero and grabbed the doorknob, flinging the door open with a huge greeting grin on as he said, "Yes, may I hel-heeelloooo. . ." his jaw dropped and he blinked as if he thought he was dreaming. Heero sighed and said as he walked over to the door, "What, who's at the door. . ." He stopped dead in his tracks behind Duo as his eyes widened and he said, "Uh. . ." A beautiful blonde stood at the door in a rather short red dress and high heels, a sly smile on her crimson lips as she said, "Hello there, I'm looking for a handsome man. . .seems I found two for the price of one."

"Hummina hummina hummina. . ." Duo stuttered as he just about passed out. Heero composed himself and pushed Duo aside, responding, "Well, who are you looking for in particular? Do you know his name?"

"A Mr. Yuy, I was sent to. . .entertain him." She responded with a grin, her green eyes staring deep into Heero's ever widening Prussian blue eyes. She stepped into the room and Heero quickly backed up as he said over his shoulder, "Duo, what did you do!"

"I didn't do anything!" Duo shouted from the bathroom where he was hiding in case Heero decided to kill him just for fun. Heero kept backing up all the way to the bed, that he preceded to trip over and onto. The woman closed the door and crawled onto the bed, inching closer and closer to Heero who clumsily and desperately crawled to the back of the bed, until he was trapped. He flattened against the headboard and his eyes went wider than Duo had thought possible as the woman grinned and reached into the top of her dress.

"ACK!" Duo exclaimed as he covered his eyes, and left room between his fingers to watch. Heero stared at her hand as she pulled out a disc and handed it to Heero.

"Huh?" Heero said, a little frazzled as he took the disc and looked at it.

"What is that, a CD of kinky music?" Duo asked in an innocent voice. Heero glared at him and Duo disappeared behind the door. The woman laughed and Heero recognized the chuckle, which scared him as to who it reminded him of.

"What. . .the. . .HECK are you doing in a DRESS!" Heero said, pushing the still laughing person away from him. Duo peeked out of the bathroom and said, "Huh? Do you know her?"

"Him." Heero said as he crawled out of the bed and picked up the laptop to see what was on the disc.

"WHAT! No way, guys just don't look that good in a dress like that!" Duo exclaimed as he stormed out of the bathroom. The grinning intruder was sprawled out on the bed, looking at Duo in an almost expectant manner. Duo paused suddenly as he looked closely at the eyes, the blonde hair. . .the light complexion. . .

"Q-QUATRE!" Duo exclaimed again. With another laugh, he said, "Is it that shocking that I'd look good in a dress? I thought you used to tease me about my feminine good looks all the time. . ."

"Yeah, but that's just wrong!" Duo indignantly said. Quatre laughed again as he rolled onto his stomach and propped his chin on the heel of his palms, smiling up at Duo and swinging his legs around in the air. Shuttering, Duo walked over to the computer and looked at the screen over Heero's shoulder as he loaded the files off the disc to view them. With a twitch of his eye, Heero growled, "Do you want something!"

"Huh? No. . ." Duo responded naively. Quatre cleared his throat and pointed to the vain popping out of Heero's forehead, growing larger by the second. Duo jumped back and gulped, seconds away from a beating for breathing down Heero's neck. With one final aggravated sigh, Heero opened the file on the disc given to him. As he read the information, his eyes widened and he said, "So this is what I wasn't informed of?"

"Every last forgotten detail. The mission's gotten complicated, so I was sent to assist however my help is needed." Quatre said as he climbed gracefully off the bed and stood at Heero's side. Duo muttered about how Quatre was too good at this undercover stuff as he coughed to muffle his comment. Quatre ignored it as he said, "It'll take you at least an hour to fully read over that 'lost' information, if you need me to cover for you today while you catch up. . ."

"No, this won't take me long. Duo, get ready for our next assignment."

"Right!" He rushed about grabbing things as Heero kept his eyes glued to the computer screen, rapidly taking in the shed light that he was kept in the dark from since the beginning. Suddenly, Quatre was startled by a pile of clothes whacking him in the face.

"What the-" Quatre exclaimed.

"Put those on; seeing you in that dress in making me uncomfortable!" Duo said as he knelt next to his bag to rummage for something. Quatre shrugged as he walked into the bathroom with perfect balance on his heels. Duo watched him a little until the sight made a chill run up his spine.

__

Boy, we need to talk later. . .Duo thought to himself about Quatre as he shook his head and continued his search.

Scene Four

"Alright, now let's see, where's the best spot. . ." Duo said as the three boys walked into the local mall, weaving their way through the crowds of people. Dressed as a normal, non-queenish boy, Quatre followed the two boys as they searched for a safe place to make base for the day's assignment.

"Will you hurry it up, Duo, we don't have too much time to fool around. . ." Heero commented, slightly annoyed still from earlier.

"Patience is a virtue. . ." Duo mockingly sung as he grinned and said, "There! Perfect, if I do say so myself!"

"Men's Footlocker?" Quatre said, a bit confused.

"It's close to our objective for the afternoon and a very manly place to hang out as a cover." Duo said with a wink. Quatre sighed and said, "You'll never let it die, will you?"

"Not as long as I have breath to give me voice!" Duo grinned as he opened the emergency exit door by the store and walked down the long hallway, heading for the bathroom. Heero walked toward the footlocker to do his part of the assignment.

"Heero?" Heero turned around and looked at Quatre, noticing a concerned look on his face.

"What?"

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Heero blankly stared at Quatre for a second before turning and continuing on. With a sigh, Quatre thought to himself, _I hope you know what you're doing. . ._

As Heero entered the store, he saw two girls standing by the register giggling and looking at him, a third with them but not paying attention as she paid for something. Heero ignored them until he heard one of them call out to him.

"Hey there, lookin' for a helmet?" He looked at the girls again and said, "Excuse me?" The girl that made the comment grinned and said, "You're a bike rider, right? You're wearing the shorts for it. . ." He looked down at his spandex shorts and thought with a groan, _Oh, they're just making fun of me. . .dumb blondes. . ._

"Oh, would you leave him alone? Come on!" Heero looked up and noticed the third girl pushing the others out of the store. He blinked as she said, "Sorry, just ignore them! It's not their faults they have broccoli for brains!" The girls protested and Heero wryly grinned, turning back around to continue his journey.

__

I guess I am a big conspicuous with these on. . .maybe I should have worn something else. He turned a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Up ahead of him was, of all people, Trowa. He was looking a pair of sneakers over until he noticed Heero staring at him from the end of the aisle. He smiled and said, "Better already?"

"Um, yeah." Heero said, slowly walking toward Trowa, "What are you doing here?"

"Needed some new shoes. And you?"

"Bike helmet." He said, thinking to himself, _Idiot, stop talking to him and get going._

"Oh, that would be two more aisles down." Trowa said quietly, pointing in the general direction.

"Yeah, thanks." Heero turned to go when he heard Trowa say, "How was the soup?" He stopped and said quietly without turning back, "I didn't have any soup."

"Sorry. . .my mistake. Take care." Heero walked around the corner of the aisle and headed for the bike aisle, thinking, _He's been watching us. . .but why? Who's his secret objective? Could it be one of us? I never should have trusted him, he was most likely the one who stole that data out of our laptop. That's not good, he knows about our mission now. . .I need to get to Duo, he might be in danger._ He headed for the back of the store and slipped into the stockroom, crouching in a dark corner and pulling a communicator out of his pocket, whispering, "Duo, do you read me, over?"

Yeah, what's shakin'? Duo responded.

"Trowa's here."

What? Where?

"In the store; I think he's on to us."

Alright, we have to abort then. If he has our mission files it's all over.

"He does, he stole them from the laptop while I was sick."

Head for the exit, I'll find Quatre and catch up with you later. Skip our next two assignments and go to plan B.

"10-4, over and out." He put the device back in he pocket and stood up. . .then sat back down. The room started to spin as he felt like throwing up, wobbling back and forth as he stared into space, suddenly breaking into a cold sweat.

__

What's. . .wrong with me! I. . .I can't move. . . He collapsed to the floor and stared blankly at the wall, slowly and desperately reaching for the communicator.

__

I. . .have to get to. . .Duo. He pressed the transmit button and started sending an SOS to Duo, hoping that for once the baka would pay attention.

"Huh? What's that sound?" Duo said to himself, looking down at his pocket and listening as he pulled out his communicator, "Sounds like. . .Morris code. . .S. . .O. . . . .S? gasp! Heero!" He responded in code back to Heero, in case he was in a position that a voice confirmation would compromise his safety.

__

Where. . .are. . .you. Heero mentally read the code and slowly responded.

"Stockroom?" Duo thought for a second and ran for the door, heading straight for the footlocker. He slowed down as he entered the store and calmly walked to the back, being cautious in case Trowa was still there.

Call Duo, we need to have a little one on one talk.

"What?" Duo stopped and silently listened to the transmission.

I don't know what. . .you're talking. . .ab. .out, Trowa. . .

__

I knew I shouldn't have let him come. . .but why does Trowa want to talk to me? Duo thought.

Just get him over here.

Why. . .should I do. .anyth. . .thing for you.

Because if you don't. . .I'll kill you.

__

Heero! I have to do something! Duo thought as his heart began to race, trying to think of something to do to stop Trowa from hurting his friend. He looked up and saw a bike lock and chain hanging over his head.

Scene Five

"Even if. . .Duo was here, he wouldn't be. . .dumb enough to. .come after me. That's. . .what spy work. . .is. . .all about." Heero gasped as he tried to stay conscious.

"Well, knowing Duo, he won't be smart enough to leave you behind. He sure seems attached to you lately, being your little nurse for the week. . .too bad there's nothing he can do for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Your illness, he doesn't realize the severity of it. . .yet."

"How do you know-"

"I couldn't let you get in the way of my mission, Heero. No hard feelings, of course. . ."

"What did you. . .do to. . .me?"

"Not much. . .just gave you a small case of-GAK!" Heero heard struggling sounds as Trowa was, as he assumed, attacked by someone. He couldn't move to see what happened but he figured he'd soon find out as he heard a thud of a body hitting the floor, who's it was he wasn't really sure. Chain rattling echoed into his ears and then the voice of an angel.

"Heero, are you okay! What happened?" Duo said as he pulled Heero up and looked into his eyes. He looked shocked by the glassy look of Heero's eyes as Heero barely said, "Hos. . .pital. . ."

"Right, I'll get Quatre to come get Trowa. We'll go out the back way." He picked Heero up and slung his arm over his shoulder, helping him out of the stockroom through a back door, leading into the exit hallway and out into the open. As he picked up speed and headed straight for their vehicle, Quatre ran up to them and said, "What in the world-"

"Go back to the footlocker, Trowa's unconscious in the stockroom, get him and tie him up in our hotel room!" Duo ordered. Quatre nodded, briefly looking worried at Heero's weak condition before running back to the mall. Duo carefully eased Heero into the car and jumped in himself, roaring the engine to life and tearing out of the parking lot and down the road to the nearest hospital.


	3. Part 3

Chapter Three: Scene One

"You can see him now, Mr. Maxwell. Follow me, I'll take you to his room." Duo stood up quickly and followed the nurse to Heero's hospital room, eager to see his ill friend. He walked into the room and ran over to the bed, saying, "Heero!"

"He's resting, he can't hear you right now." Duo looked up to see Heero's doctor standing in the corner, looking over the papers from the tests they ran on him.

"What's wrong with him, doc? Why's he so sick?" Duo said, too fidgety to sit down. The doctor closed the file in his hand and sat it in its holder at the foot of Heero's bed, clearing his throat as he walked toward Duo slowly.

"You're friend here has a severe case of chills, fever, and Heparin-induced Thrombocytopaenia, or HIT as it's more commonly called." The doctor stated matter-of-factly to Duo.

"Thrombo-what? What's that?"

"Thrombocytopaenia. It is a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood. It reduces the ability of the blood to clot and is thus a bleeding diathesis. It is defined as a platelet count less than 100,000 per cubic ml."

"Is that bad?" Duo said, not quite understanding what he was saying.

"Yes, and since Mr. Wufei has HIT, it will be hard to treat him without the possibility of losing a limb to the virus."

"Oh." Duo almost forgot that he had used Chang's name for Heero; less conspicuous. This was serious, he wasn't sure if his friend would make it out in one piece. Wiping a bit of sweat off his brow, he said, "Doc, do whatever you can for him, just don't let him die, please. He's. . .he's my best friend. . ." The doctor patted Duo on the back and said, "I need to go see if the medicine for him is ready yet. I'll leave you two alone." He walked out and closed the door, leaving Duo to stare blankly at Heero's pale face.

__

I never thought I would ever see Heero so defenseless. . .he looks like. . .an innocent child. Duo thought to himself, slowly reaching up to gently stroke some loose hair out of Heero's eyes. His skin was cold to the touch everywhere but his forehead, which felt extremely hot and sweaty. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dried Heero's face, trying to help cool him however he could. Heero's eyelids fluttered open suddenly and he looked groggily up at Duo, his eyes still sharp as ever but looking a bit brought down by his illness. He moaned and said, "It's cold in here. . .and my head hurts."

"I know. . .I'll see if I can find you an extra blanket." Duo went searching through the room for linens as Heero muttered, "So what did Trowa give me?"

"Um. . .nothing that can't be cured." Duo said, trying to keep from telling him the bad news. He could feel Heero's blaring gaze on his back as he slowly looked through drawer after drawer for a sheet or something.

"Duo, tell me. . .moan." He closed his eyes and made a face of discomfort as he grabbed the covers into a fist. Duo watched him in sadness as he felt helpless in his friend's future, if he would even have one. Just then a knock came on the door and Quatre entered the room, looking a bit pale himself, despite his already light complexion. Duo stared wide-eyed at him as he said, "Quatre, what are-"

"He. . .got away. But not before we had a nice little chat." Quatre said faintly, walking slowly into the room. Duo ran over to him and helped him over to the chair near Heero's bed. Quatre fell into it with a thud as he stared at the wall with a blank stare, as if he had been shocked by something. Duo crouched in front of Quatre, his hands on his chilly arms that hung limp at his sides.

"Quatre, what happened? Tell me everything." Duo said, staring at Quatre's face intently. Quatre finally focused his gaze on Duo and said, "Okay. . .When you sent me to get him, I found him unconscious in the stockroom. That was the easy part. Since you took the car I had to find something else to get us out of there. That's when I spotted Trowa's motorcycle parted in the back of the lot. I found the keys in Trowa's pocket so I started it up and held onto Trowa as I slowly road back to your apartment. It wasn't easy, though, especially since I'm not good at riding motorcycles and with an added person that's not even awake. . .well, it's just difficult and I almost dropped him a few times. Anyhow, when we got back to your hotel room after I joked with the Concierge that Trowa was drunk like a skunk, I tied him up like you said after making sure he didn't have anything on him to get out of his ties. Just when I finished, he woke up and stared at me. But. . .it wasn't his normal blank, emotionless stare. . .he looked sad. So I asked him. . .

'Trowa, why are you doing this? I thought you were our friend!'

'I don't have a choice, Quatre.'

'What's making you do this?'

'If I tell you, they'll. . .'

'They, whoever they are, won't know. . .tell me what's going on.'

"He didn't want to tell me, I could see it in his eyes, but he wanted help. . .he needed help.

'They have my sister. . .'

'Your. . .sister? You have a sister?'

'Yes. It's. . .Catherine.'

'Trowa. . .'

"I couldn't stand to watch my friend be tortured like this, it was too much. . .too far. But I still didn't understand what he was after. So I asked him.

'What is it that they would use your sister as ransom for?'

'It's not an it, it's a person.'

'Who?'

'A little boy in priest's clothes.'

"He's after you, Duo." Duo stared wide-eyed at Quatre for a second. This was a first, usually his loved ones were the ones being hunted down, not him personally. But why did they want him? Well that could be one of a million things he's done or. . .stolen.

"What do they want me for, did he say?"

"Yes, that was the next thing I asked him.

'What did he do! Not that I'm shocked that someone would be after him but. . .why?'

'When he was a child, apparently, he stole a mobile suit from an OZ main base and drove off with it in a transport unit. But there was something in that Transport unit that he hadn't expected to be there, something valuable.'

'What?'

'A floppy disk. . .with hidden OZ plans of attack on key people of political stature. They had gotten Mr. Darlian but there were others intended for attack.'

'Who?'

'I don't know, they wouldn't tell me. I guess they thought I might tell on them.'

'But how do you know if Duo even has this floppy anymore?'

'That doesn't matter to them, they want him just because he had it. They figure he had to have looked at it some point in time, so they don't even want him around to spill what he knows.'

"So they're after you, Duo. They want you dead and they're going to get Trowa to hunt you for them."

"This. . .this can't be happening. But, I don't have a floppy! I-" He suddenly remembered that horrid day of the Maxwell Tragedy. He had stolen a mobile suit to give to the rebels invading his church so they would leave Father Maxwell and Sister Helen alone. He did remember as he drove off like a bat out of Hell. . .a disk bounced into his lap from somewhere, so he picked it up and stuffed it in his shirt. Was that the disk they were after? He had almost forgotten it after what happened when he got back to the church. . .or what was left of it. Tears came to his eyes and he quickly wiped them away and stood up, turning away from the others so they wouldn't see the hurt on his face. He reached up to his heart as it began to ache for his lost loved ones, Father Maxwell. . .Sister Helen. He still couldn't forgive himself for their death.

"Duo? Are you alright?" Quatre said softly, standing up as well.

"Not again, they won't take them away from me." Duo whispered to himself. He turned to Quatre with his normal smile on, covering up the true feelings gripping at his heart on the inside.

"I remember now, I did find a floppy. But I don't have it on me at the moment, I left it with an old friend a long time ago. I didn't look at it, so maybe they'll let me off the hook, what do ya think?"

"Duo. . ." Quatre could tell he was covering for something.

__

Why won't you open up and tell us your past, Duo. . .what is your smile hiding? Quatre thought in sadness as he watched his friend pretend to be happy.

"Oh well, if not, then I guess the Shinigami has finally met his match. I'll see you guys on the other side, later." Duo started toward the door when he heard Heero say faintly, "Duo, wait."

"Yeah?" Duo said, not having enough courage to face him.

"Go into my Gundam, there's something in there I want you to have. You'll know what it is." Duo didn't say anything else as he left the room and ran off down the hall.

"Why does he always hide his feelings like that?" Quatre said woefully, still staring at the open door.

"Because, it's better for him that way. . .you hide things, don't you?" Heero said, looking over at Quatre.

"Hmm. . ." Quatre smiled lightly as a sudden sense of irony hit him, "How ironic, the God of Death is rushing off to his funeral. . ."

"Yes. . .ironic."

Scene Two

"Hey, Howard, how's the boat running?" Duo called out from the dock where the old salvage boat his friend owned rested for repairs.

"Maxwell! Hey man, what are you doing here?" The bearded man said. He looked a bit like an aged surfer dude with his black shades, Hawaiian shirt and shorts with worn out sandals barely hanging onto his feet.

"Just came by to see if you still had something I left with you a long time ago, mind if I come aboard?"

"Nah, come on up! I'll lower the ladder for ya!" The man disappeared and so did Duo's grin.

__

I hope that old man didn't lose it, or else I'm in deep-

"Hey, come on kid, I don't have all day!" Duo looked up and smiled again, grabbing hold of the rickety rope ladder and quickly climbing up. He jumped aboard and Howard pulled the ladder up, saying, "Okay then, what's this thing you seem to have entrusted me to keep for ya?"

"Mind if we discuss this inside, I kinda have a price on my head at the moment." Duo said, keeping an eye out for Trowa in case he decided to popup and grab him.

"I gotcha, come on in!" They walked into the helm cabin and continued their talk in there.

Scene Three

"A floppy, eh? Hmm. . .not sure if I remember you leavin' that here. . ." Howard said as he ran his fingers through his beard.

"Come on, man, I need it! I left it with you just before I ran off in my Gundam! Remember?"

"Oh yeah, that Death-thingy. . .okay, I think I know where I put it. . ." He walked toward a door leading down into the lower decks of his vessel as Duo thought, _Hopefully the floppy's memory is better than his is! Geez. . ._

"Here it is!" Howard said after rummaging through a closet of junk. Duo took it and said, "Thanks man, you're a life saver, literally!" They walked back onto the main deck and Duo turned to say, "Thanks again, here's a little something for the trouble. . ." Duo handed him some money and Howard gladly took it, saying, "Hey, no trouble for an old friend! You be careful now and watch that pretty little head of yours!" Howard patted him on the head and waved goodbye to him. Duo skipped the ladder and just jumped over the side onto the dock, breaking into a run for his motorcycle that he, ahem, borrowed. He headed for the storage facility that Heero had his Gundam stored in to retrieve whatever it was that Heero had left for him to find. He finally got there, through many a side paths to keep out of plain sight, and broke into the holding dock. He quickly made his way up onto the Gundam and opened the cockpit, climbing in to find a little box sitting on the seat.

"Hmm. . ." Duo opened it and then laughed.

__

Heero and his dry sense of humor. . . Duo thought as he picked up the mask that lay in the box.

Scene Four

"Where's the boy, Trowa, it's been 2 days and you still haven't managed to capture him." Dekim Barton said angrily as he stared down at the solemn form of his 'puppet'. Trowa's face burned as he felt his chances of saving his sister slowly slipping away by wasting his time there when he could be out searching for Duo.

"I have successfully gotten Heero out of the way, I just need to track Duo down and then I will have him for you." Trowa said, not making eye contact.

"I hope for your sister's sake that you're right. I'll give you 24 hours to find him and bring him to us, or else." Trowa grit his teeth in anger.

"Or else what?" They both turned to see a boy standing across the room from them, hidden behind a grinning mask on his face and a gun trained on Dekim. Trowa looked surprised by Duo's braveness of confronting his soon to be killer, but not quite to the point of being shocked.

__

Duo's brash but not stupid, what's he got planned. . .Trowa thought as Dekim yelled, "Who are you!"

"I am Shinigami, the God of Death, and I'm here to tell you that it's not that girl's time to go yet. . .so I'm taking her out of here." Duo walked toward Dekim and Trowa and said, "Bring her out here, or else you'll never get that little boy and his disk. . ." Reluctantly, Dekim pressed a button that opened a door leading into another room where Catherine sat tied and gagged, yet still writhing and screaming.

"Go get your sister, Trowa." Trowa briefly looked at Duo before running into the room and freeing his sister. Dekim stared angrily at Duo and said, "So where are they? The agreement was them for the girl. . .you won't get out alive without my authority."

"Here's the disk. . ." Duo said, tossing the floppy to Dekim as Trowa came out with Catherine holding his hand tightly, "But, sorry to say, that kid died a long time ago."

"What!" Duo took off the mask and said, "Yeah, seems that disk brings bad luck. The day he stole the disk he died along with his family, just as you'll day today." He threw the mask and said, "Run, Trowa." They ran for the door and down the hall as Duo pulled out a trigger button and pushed it, saying, "Shinigami strikes again."

Scene Five

"Have you seen Duo, sir?" Quatre said as he walked up to Howard's ship. Howard looked over the side at the blonde boy and said, "Who's that? Never heard of him."

"Please sir, he's in trouble and I need to find him!"

"Well, wish I could help ya but I can't, sorry." He disappeared and Quatre sighed, turning to go. Just then his pocket began to ring and he pulled his cell phone out.

__

An unlisted number? I wonder. . . Quatre pushed the accept button and said, "Hello?"

"Uh yeah, I got 29 pizzas here for a Mr. Winner. . ." Quatre smiled and said, "This is him, where can I pick them up?"

"Downtown in the grocery block. Sorry bout the inconvenience, my ride is busted."

"No, not at all, I'll be right there." Quatre said in a calm, happy voice. He hung up and ran for his car, taking off for the Commercial District. Howard watched him leave as he thought, _Well, I guess he was a friend after all. Good luck to ya, lad._

As Quatre drove slowly around the grocery block, he watched out for his "pizzas" to show up. He saw a phone booth near the street and stopped by it. Getting out, he looked toward the store next to it to see a boy with a braid looking an apple over. Quatre smiled and called out, "So where's my pizzas? You didn't eat them all did you?" With a big grin, the boy responded, "Sorry dude, I got hungry." Quatre ran over to him and gave him a hug, surprising him for a second.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Duo, I was worried about you!" Quatre said happily.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine." Duo said, patting Quatre and then pushing him away, saying, "Okay, that's enough."

"Sorry." Quatre said with a chuckle. Duo paid the shopkeeper for the apple and then took a bite out of it.

"Mmm. . .oh, I have a few pizzas left if you don't mind giving them a ride too." Trowa and Catherine walked out of the store and Quatre smiled, saying, "Not at all, let's go!" They walked toward the car and got in, driving off to head back to the hotel.

"Wow, this mission turned out shorter than I thought! Oh, how is Heero doing?" Duo asked Quatre as he sat down in one of the heart-shaped chairs in the honeymoon suite.

"Oh, he's getting better, thank goodness. It turns out his illness wasn't as bad as the doctors had thought it was. He's recovering as we speak." Quatre said cheerfully, sitting down as well.

"I only gave him a small dose of the virus, not enough to give him a serious case but enough to keep him down for a while. I didn't want to kill him." Trowa said, still holding his sister's hand as they both sat on the edge of the waterbed.

"Good, cause I might have killed you if he died." Duo said, winking at Trowa.

"You could try." Trowa said in his normal dry, humorless voice.

"So how in the world did you get out of there?" Quatre asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I just walked in there and blew the place up." Duo said with a grin.

"His mask was an explosive that he detonated on our way out." Trowa added.

"Mask?"

"A gift from Heero." Duo said with a smile, looking over at the door as if he expected him to come walking in any minute.

"sigh So now what?" Quatre asked. Duo grinned.

Scene Six

"SURPRISE!" Heero was shocked to see his bedroom at school filled with the g-boys and friends, all cheering and joyful.

"What's going on?" Heero asked as he was guided into the room by Duo.

"Everyone came by to celebrate your cheating death for the umptiumth time! Come in, have a drink, enjoy yourself!" Duo said. Music filled the room and everyone started the partying and began chatting amongst each other. Still a little frazzled by the joyous greeting, Heero floated around the crowd slowly making his way to the makeshift refreshment table. When he finally got in sight of it, he saw Relena standing by it, smiling at him. Surprised, he said, "Relena, what are you doing here?"

"Quatre invited me to come since I didn't get a chance to visit you in the hospital. How are you feeling?" Relena asked, being her normal kind self. He walked over to the table and got himself a drink, saying, "Fine. . .you didn't have to come, it was nothing."

"Nothing? Why you could have died and you say it's nothing? We care about you, Heero, of course it's only natural we would celebrate your recovery!"

"You care about me?" Heero looked up into Relena's sparkling eyes. She took his hand and said, "Of course I do, Heero." He didn't know why but he blushed, which surprised Relena a bit to see him do so. He looked away and said, "Well, uh. . ."

"You don't have to say anything, Heero. I just wanted you to know that I cared." She looked at her watch and said, "Oh, I have a meeting to be at in an hour, I should get ready for it. It was nice to see you again, Heero." She started to leave when Heero gently grabbed her wrist. She looked back at him and he said, "Won't you stay. . .just a few more minutes? Seeing that Duo went to all this work. . ." She smiled and said, "I guess I can stay. . .if you want me to."

"I do." Heero said, looking deep into Relena's eyes and smiling.

The End.


End file.
